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The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is showedThe rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is shewed
The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is showed; 1. What contentment is. 2. The holy art or mystery of it. 3. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment. 4. The excellencies of it. 5. The evils of murmuring. 6. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring. By Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of the eleven volumes that are published by Thomas Goodwin, William Greenhil, Sydrach Simpson, Philip Nigh, William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.The rare jewel of Christian contentment Wherein is shewed; 1. What contentment is. 2. The holy art or mystery of it. 3. Several lessons that Christ teacheth, to work the heart to contentment. 4. The excellencies of it. 5. The evils of murmuring. 6. The aggravations of the sin of murmuring. By Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of the eleven volumes that are published by Thomas Goodwin, William Greenhil, Sydrach Sympson, Philip Nye, William Bridge, John Yates, William Adderly.
London: printed for Ben. Billingsley, 1666
THE RARE JEWEL OF CHRISTIAN CONTENTMENT. › Sermon 1: SERMON, I. at Stepney. July 27. 1645.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The second thing is this, which is very observable, That spiritual Contentment comes from the frame of the Soul. A man or woman that is contented in a right way, their contentment doth not so much come from outward arguments, or any outward thing that helps them to be content, as it doth from the disposition of their own hearts; It is the disposition of their own hearts, that causes this Contentment: That brings forth this gracious Contentment, rather than any external thing that ⟨p. 12⟩doth it, as thus I would open my self, one that is disquieted, suppose a child, or man, or woman if you come and bring them some great matter to please them, that perhaps will quiet them, and they will be contented; it is the thing you bring them that quiets them, but it is not the disposition of their own spirits, not from any good temper that there is in their own hearts: but from some external thing that is brought them: but when a Christian is contented in a right way, the quiet doth come more from the inward temper and disposition of their own hearts than from any external arguments, or possession of any thing in the world. I would yet open this further to you in this Similitude. The being content upon some external thing, it is like the warming of a mans clothes by the fire; but being content by the inward disposition of the soul, it is like the warmth that a mans clothes hath from the natural heat of his body: A man that is of a healthful body, he puts on his clothes, and perhaps when he puts them on at the first in a cold morning he feels his clothes cold, but after he hath them on a little while, they are warm; why how come they warm? they come not nigh the fire: No, but it came from the natural heat of his body. Now a sickly man that hath his natural heat decayed, if he put on his clothes cold, they will not be hot in a long time, but he must have them warmed by the fire, and then they will quickly be cold again; So this will difference the Contentments of men. There are some men now that are very gracious, and when an affliction comes upon them, indeed at first it seems to be a little cold, but after it hath been on a while, the very temper of their hearts being gracious, it makes their affliction easy, and makes them to be quiet under it, and not to complain of any discontentment.
The second thing is this, which is very observable, That spiritual Contentment comes from the frame of the Soul. A man or woman that is contented in a right way, their contentment doth not so much come from outward arguments, or any outward thing that helps them to be content, as it doth from the disposition of their own hearts; It is the disposition of their own hearts, that causes this Contentment: That brings forth this gracious Contentment, rather than any external thing that